JOHN MAURER PAPERS

John Maurer's papers date largely from 1950 to 1972 and consist predominantly of engineering drawings and calculations pertaining to optical equipment, especially 16mm and 8mm film projectors and printers and aerial cameras. Much of the aerial camera work was done for Chicago Aerial Industries. Also included in this collection are Maurer's writings, such as published essays (mostly in The Journal of the Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers), unpublished essays, addresses and reports. There are also materials and drafts relating to a proposed chapter by Maurer on photomicrography for a McGraw-Hill handbook. There are numerous U.S. patents, either held by Maurer or by others but relevant to Maurer's own work. In addition to completed U.S. patents, there are also patent applications and foreign patents.

The rest of the collection is composed of a wide variety of types of materials. There is some correspondence, relating to patents or engineering projects. There are photographs of optical equipment and prototypes, test data for developing projects and aerial views. Lantern slides relating to Maurer's engineering work and for presentations are also included. There are also trade catalogs from optical firms; newsclippings about Maurer, his products and his interests; and certificates (diplomas for his B.A., his honorary doctorate from Ohio State University, certificate of fellowship in the society of Photographic Engineers, etc.). Biographical materials have been brought together in a single folder at the beginning of the collection. Various periodicals that only served as sources of information for Maurer's work (as opposed to carrying his own articles), mostly the Journal of the SMPTE and Science, were removed from the collection during processing and discarded.